Louisiana civilians played key role in WWII, rescuing troops from Gulf waters

Seventy years ago on June 6, the world had already been at war for years, but this one day was the turning point for the Allies.

U.S. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower penned one of the most famous undelivered notes in history known as the “In case of failure message.”

“My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone,” it read.

And while the bulk of World War II was fought on foreign shores, residents of south Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast played a key role.

World War I taught the American government that German U-boats could effectively interdict shipping along the Eastern Seaboard, but the Gulf of Mexico wasn’t thought to be vulnerable, said Joey Balfour with the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

“The American government didn't think that U-boats would be able to operate in the Gulf of Mexico, so they weren't prepared for it. Almost immediately when the U-boats get into the gulf -- U-507 entered the first week of May -- and in less than 100 hours, they put six vessels on the bottom,” he said. “They were relentless. They were attacking everything they could see. Many of the vessels they attacked were right off the mouth of the river, right off of southwest pass. There are 25 ships that were sunk within 30 miles or so of the sea lane.”

The American Navy didn’t have the assets to counter the U-boat threat in the Gulf. So, they called upon the people of southeast Louisiana.

“The American civilian response, especially out of New Orleans, mobile coastal towns like this, was enormous and played a very big role,” Balfour said. “The Coast Guard Auxiliary, which was a civilian volunteer unit, began patrolling. A lot of people out of the cities of New Orleans, Galveston, Houston, Biloxi went out in fishing boats. They went out in yachts, sailboats anything they could get out there to look for these U-boats.”

While the civilians didn’t detect many U-boats, the critical service they did provide was rescuing thousands of sailors and downed pilots who would have been lost at sea after their ships were sunk.

Remembering D-Day 70 years later

Remembering D-Day 70 years later

In an operation commonly known as D-Day, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in France on June 6, 1944, launching the invasion of German-occupied western Europe that helped turn the tide of World War II. Take a look back at this historic event 70 years later.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded the operation. Here, U.S. soldiers prepare to load into boats on the coast of England.

The "D" stands for Day. D-Day and H-Hour stand for the secret time and day an operation is scheduled to begin.

The code names for the five beaches where the Allies landed were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

The date June 5, 1944, was originally chosen for the invasion, but bad weather forced the Allies to postpone one day.

Discussions and preparations for an Allied invasion of France across the English Channel began after an Aug. 19, 1942, raid on the French port of Dieppe resulted in heavy losses.

The Germans expected an invasion along the north coast of France in 1944, but they did not know where.They built up their troops and artillery near Calais, where the English Channel is the narrowest.

Overnight heading into June 6, 1944, a military armada and more than 156,000 troops crossed the English Channel. Minesweepers went ahead to clear the waters in preparation for the more than 2,300 landing crafts carrying men, vehicles and supplies.

Between midnight and 8 a.m.on June 6, Allied forces of more than 11,000 aircraft flew 14,674 sorties, which means they came from a defense position to attack.

At 6:30 a.m., troops began coming ashore on a 60-mile front. In a broadcast to the people of occupied Europe, Eisenhower said: "Although the initial assault may not have been in your own country, the hour of your liberation is approaching."

Six parachute regiments of more than 13,000 men were flown from nine British airfields in more than 800 planes. More than 300 planes dropped 13,000 bombs over coastal Normandy immediately in advance of the invasion.

By nightfall on June 6, more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were dead or wounded, but more than 100,000 had made it ashore, securing French coastal villages.

Pressing forward, American and Free French forces eventually liberated Paris on Aug. 25, 1944.

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